Dedicated father collects coins for daughter with biliary atresia

Read on to learn more about the touching story of Baby Esang and her father who is desperately trying to earn money to treat her illness.

Parents are willing to do anything just to make sure that their children live a long and full life. And for one father whose daughter has the life-threatening condition biliary atresia, he is willing to do anything to cure her – even collect coins to pay for her treatment.

The touching story of Baby Esang and her dad Jeric

The story of Jeric and Baby Esang was shared by Jenny Sumalpong, founder of Litro Babies Philippines, a local organization that helps children suffering from biliary atresia.

According to Jeric, Baby Esang was diagnosed with the condition when she was only four months old. Now that she's 11 months old, she's still doing her best to fight the disease.

Jeric is currently working as a cashier in a photo studio, and is struggling to find out a way to earn the 1.6 million pesos needed for her daughter's much-needed liver transplant that will be done in India. They will also have to find a way to earn money for her medicine.

According to Jeric, he is also trying to pick up each and every coin that he can find, no matter how small the amount. He shares that every little bit helps just so his daughter can be cured.

For those who are interested in sending donations, you can contact the family through 09058732860, or send money directly to Baby Esang's bank account:

008640130545
Zhianna Erza R. Trestre
BDO

What is biliary atresia?

Biliary atresia is a rare condition wherein the flow of bile, or the liquid coming from the liver that helps digest fat, gets blocked. This causes the liver to get trapped in the liver, and causes damage and scarring in the liver. Eventually, it can cause liver failure.

It is still not understood what exactly causes biliary atresia. In some cases it's due to the bile ducts not developing fully during pregnancy. Sometimes, it gets damaged after a viral infection as a result of the body's immune system trying to fight off the infection.

Sadly, the condition cannot be treated with just medication. In most cases, a liver transplant is necessary in order to make sure that the child survives. Once the transplant is done, medication also needs to be taken by the child, so that the transplant doesn't get rejected.